I tried to write:
“I sometimes wish there were a special HTML tag, say ””
in the above. Hopefully, the editor will allow this through.

Thanks for thoughtful response.

You raise valid concerns, even I’m not sure how they ultimately apply here. I certainly don’t mean to in any way mock scholars who take a more, shall we say, cautious view on this than myself (not that I mean to imply equivalence between my own unschooled opinions and the opinions of a scholar). When engaging in discussions in the Blogosphere, I sometimes wish there were a special HTML tag, say “” to apply as one would italics so that readers do not take comments in a manner other than they are intended.

At the same time, that’s not to say that I think one must be a scholar to contribute to the broader discussion. Not that the two intellectual domains are governed by precisely the same cannons, but the scholarly consensus concerning the underlying facts of Fiqh should be no more subject to the whims of popular opinion than those of science. At the same time, even if the facts upon which each tradition aren’t open to much subjective interpretation the fact remains that scholars are (and *should* be) influenced by the broader intellectual debates of their era. So, while agree that most people are not able to able to make a juridically-informed contribution to the discussion, I don’t accept the common assumption that this conversation can or should only be conducted among jurists.

My quips were off the cuff and perhaps unduly snarky. I get a bit grouchy about the way questions of bida` get constructed in popular Islamic discussions in North America, and old hobby horse of mine. Thankfully, things are getting better and much needed nuance is belatedly creeping into our media discussions thanks to the contributions of scholars like Sh. Sherman.

Hope this makes sense.

The early Arab immigrants fought really hard for the status as whites. But post 9/11, they got their white card snatched. The funny thing is that Arab Americans are still legally classified as white, but they are treated as a non-white other (and this includes legally and politically) Here’s a great study:
http://www.amazon.com/Race-Arab-Americans-Before-After/dp/0815631774
. Here’s another great book on Muslim Americans:
http://www.amazon.ca/Casting-Out-Eviction-Muslims-Politics/dp/product-description/080209497X.

It is unfortunate that the Black American Muslim women at your facility cannot relate to you. Their unwillingness to overcome their racial mistrust is much to their detriment. I think the issues you face in your job largely arise out of racial trauma and trust. The scars run deep and sometimes privileged members of society can trample on the marginalized feelings without even knowing, therefore you are dealing with a lot of baggage. But group think also comes into play. Many Black Americans see Islam as a club, a club that white people don’t join. So, when they see a white Muslim, there is cognitive dissonance. If you’d like to continue building coalitions across ethnic and racial lines, I would suggest speaking to white anti-racism activists to find out better ways to bridge these gaps and open dialogue. It is worthwhile work.

Me again, lol

You wrote:

“However, many white Muslims are foisted into positions of authority, prestige and voice in the community, not based on their merits, but simply because whiteness is seen as a defacto qualifier.”

Ah ha – there’s an eye opener. I can agree with that.

As your wife knows, I am a chaplain. I have a college degree and am a retired employee (counselor) of my facility. I have worked in prisons for nearly 20 years and am well qualified to do what I do – counseling, now pastoral counseling. But, some of the women there were honest with me and shared that it was difficult to have me as their amirah, being white, and in authority with the facility. Sometimes, I’m not trust by the Muslims. The amirah before me for 8 years was White, and before her, an African-American brother who the inmates loved and still talk about/miss to this day. He is deceased, may Allaah t’ala forgive his sins and grant him Paradise. Only a few of the Muslim inmates are White, the majority are Black, and to a lesser extent, some Hispanics. I speak Spanish and the Hispanic women gravitate to me, but it is difficult with the Black sisters sometimes.

I feel sad that we Muslims can’t see each other as brothers and sisters without having hizbiyah play such a large role in our affairs What a mess.

I’m trying to understand what you’re saying. Really. And I appreciate you trying to break it down for me.

From my perspective though, as a 61 year old Eastern European (Polish) Jew (now Muslim, lol), I’m just trying to tell you that NO ONE in America saw us as white people in my day. Maybe “in my day” is the key to my confusion. Maybe it’s different for the immigrants now. If it wasn’t anti-semitism for us, it was the discrimination for being Polish, people calling us names like “hunky” “dumb Polack,” people thinking we were dirty, my grandparents not speaking English well, kids making fun of our accents, etc., and all that. I was very ashamed as a child. Couldn’t get away from it on either side. Add to that my mother’s people were Catholics and America wasn’t happy with Catholics in my day either. The greatest thing that happened to us was when a Polish pope was elected! My family felt the pride that day like some people of color felt when Obama won the presidency. For us Polish, we finally felt that we had something to be proud of.

“White” was the last thing we thought about ourselves. And our fellow white folks didn’t see as as white either. We were Polacks, Jews – different from them.

I don’t see the immigrants in my masjid trying to be white. Maybe it’s because I live in a small rural area? Maybe it’s because I’m not understanding the issue? I’m not trying to be disrespectful or argumentative. I’m trying to understand and to learn. I told your wife that in the past I have had problems discussing this topic because people of color have told me that I don’t have the “authority” to speak on the issue without understanding and compassion. How to understand and be compassionate if there is no open dialogue – only arrogance?

Thanks for reading and hoping you and your wife are having blessed last 10 days.

Brothers and sisters, in this time where the major scholars have delivered almost every aspect of Islam we still bother ourselves with the plight of our Arab brothers and sisters or should I say the community of gods incarnate, it’s no wonder that Islam in the U.S. or any other country in the world has not nor never will have the effect that it had 1400 years ago. We must redirect our worship to Allah (SWT) using the Prophet (SAW) as a guide. This can be done without looking, eating, dressing, and acting like our neo gods (Arabs) or the demi-gods the Indo-Pakistani. This by no means is an attack on those groups but a redirection of our (indigenous Muslims) sincere worship. The Prophet’s mission was in part to improve our character, how many people see us and wonder what part of the world are we from. Why must we ignore our heritage (encouraged by our foreign brothers and sisters) or do we truly believe we were the worst of mankind instead of those who Allah (SWT) identifies in the Qur’an by their worship, not their ethnicity. I was in a movie theater restroom waiting to use the toilet and found their was a line forming behind me. I overheard the man behind me telling the others, “I’m going after him, they’re clean”.

Do you really think the immigrant Muslims were trying to assimiliate into “white” society

Absolutely.

whatever white society means

I think we all know what “white society” means. If you’re American, it’s the default setting that you hold uncritically to be the repository of all that is good, innocent, hardworking, etc.

My observation of them is that they try to acculturate into American society, into pluralistic America.

I would disagree.

Even the suburbian immigrant Muslims in my area try to “live the American dream” but don’t consider themselves white Americans.

In America, there’s two modalities: black, or white. And they definitely ain’t thinkin’ of themselves as some black folks…

As a white Muslim, let me tell you, it’s no picnic for us either.

Of that I am certain. However, many white Muslims are foisted into positions of authority, prestige and voice in the community, not based on their merits, but simply because whiteness is seen as a defacto qualifier. I have been and worked at Muslim schools where the principal is white, though he had no qualifiers to be there: no advanced degree, lack of considerable experience in education. This has also been similar in other positions in other parts of our community as well. The fact that immigrant Muslims reinforce the stereotype of white supremacy is well know and documented by American Muslim academics and laypeople alike. While I am not at liberty to reprint it here as of yet, a Blackamerican academic friend of mine has been working on such a paper, that upon its publication, I hope to quote a portion of its text here. This is a real issue and dilemma in our community.

I have a Polish Jewish background and we were some of the most hated people in America in my day. And our skin is white! Our white skin did not help us, believe me.

Sister, I do believe you. What I want to make clear is that while you may have experienced some descrimination, that in no way expiates the reality that many immigrant Muslims uphold white supremacist values [I'm not talking the KKK - repeat!: I'm not talking the KKK] that have had and continue to hamper the efforts for our community as a whole, regardless of racial make-up or national origin. Siting personal episodes of racism in the context of a piece written about the incontrovertible truth of racial bias and preference on the part of Muslims only further hampers our efforts to bring this issue out in the open and to talk about it critically.

Do you really think the immigrant Muslims were trying to assimiliate into “white” society (whatever white society means)? My observation of them is that they try to acculturate into American society, into pluralistic America. Even the suburbian immigrant Muslims in my area try to “live the American dream” but don’t consider themselves white Americans. In many case, they don’t consider themselves Americans. They merely have American passports.

As a white Muslim, let me tell you, it’s no picnic for us either. As others have observed, many of us immediately lose our identity when we become Muslim and our lots are cast with the immigrants and Blacks. Many non Muslims ask me where I’ve from, lol. I am white, but am not seen as an American to some folks.

This is my experience and opinion only. I have a Polish Jewish background and we were some of the most hated people in America in my day. And our skin is white! Our white skin did not help us, believe me.

On another note, race hierarchy within the Muslim community: In addition to adopting their host country’s aesthetic, immigrant Muslims have their own racial/ethnic hierarchies and presuppositions that stem from their own cultures. The classical scholars (i.e. Ibn Battuta and Imam Ghazali) and writers also had negative assumptions about dark skin and sub-Saharan Africa. We see tension between the ideals in the Qur’an and sunnah and the interpretation of these principles by the Mediterranean scholars. And we as Muslims need to contend with that. That’s why John Hunwick and Eve Trout Powell’s work on the African Diaspora is so fascinating. Insha’Allah we need more scholars to work on this subject. The least we can do is get some social context for why lineage mattered for these scholars. That way we don’t have to take this business about lineage to heart and develop a new sense of inferiority, as some have already done.

May Allah give you tawfiq [success] in wrestling with these important matters and draw you closer. Amin.

As I am sure you know, Islam is about making choices. Not only a single choice to enter into Islam, but also daily choices to keep perpetuating that decision. It can be arduous at times. That is one of the reasons I have written so much about my experience as a Muslim-by-choice. Not really for the da’wah point of view but rather as a means by which I can draw strength from as well as reflection on where I have been, where I am at, and God willing, where I am going. Know that Islam is a God-centered religion and that above and beyond what anyone may say about your “Christian name”, know that your endeavors are to please Allah. Further more, being that Islam came to “confirm that which came before it”, there is no shame in having a Christian name in that you are merely acting on that Qur’anic notion that the Message that ‘Isa [Jesus] brought with him was a precursor to the Final Revelation that Muhammad [s] brought with him.

“And when Jesus the son of Mary said: ‘O’ Tribe of Israel! I am a Messenger of God sent to you, confirming what came before me from the Torah and heralding a Messenger yet to come after me, his name being Ahmad’ “. [aṣ-Ṣaff: 61: 6]

“perhaps the more important question is not why I became Muslim, but why I choose to remain Muslim.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself. Lately I’ve been struggling about that very statement, to remain Muslim, to maintain prayer, to fast Ramadan, etc.

I agree with you that perhaps your original post was broader in scope than my comment. I also agree that technically race and lineage are different concepts and more specifically there were/are Black Qureishis and Black descendants of the prophet (saaws). At the same time, lineage functions in a way similar to race in many societies. And even though the question of the khalifah might be a little bit more theoretical, the marriage issue is not outside the realm of likelihood as an issue I could be faced with.

I wanted to try and comment on some of the great feedback you guys left. As for racism, per Abdul Halim’s comment, my hope was to bring to light race, not so much as racism. While the two subjects may seem to be intertwined, they are indeed separate subjects. There is a continued tendency on the part of Muslims in the States to view racism as something Islam simply doesn’t deal with. Therefore, anyone who does so, must treat racism from a purely secular point of view.

Abdul-Halim also mentioned I.M.A.N. and I do believe that projects like I.M.A.N. are part of the way forward. What I am refering to does not so much rely upon institutional thinking as it does a paradigm shift in the way in which Muslims on the ground in America conceive of and deal with the issue of race. Institutions like I.M.A.N. can certainly play a role but in order for this to take positive effect, it will have to penetrate deeper than what any institution can do: at the grass roots; masājid/imams; at the Muslim leadership level. Muslims need to see and hear their leaders speaking to and dealing with race positively and effectively.

Part of this realization will be challenged by the nouveau movement of post-racial America currently being championed mostly by whites, especially in groups such as the Tea Party. With the advent of America’s first Black president, there has been a ground swell of energy and rhetoric directed towards a post-racial America. What disturbs me most is what would this post-racial world look like? What would be its characteristics? Instead of post-racial, why is no one championing a post-prejudice world, one in which race plays no defining role in decision making and social hierarchy but still leaves room for real diversity: the existence of racial and ethical differences, be they man-made or so-called natural.

Abdul-Halim possed the question:

“do you follow the ijtihad of the khawarij that even a “black slave” (or a Kenyan father and a Kansas mother) could be in charge [of the Muslim Ummah]?”

It is well known that there are indeed Blacks, slaves or otherwise, that are descended from the Prophet [s]. Blackness is not a barrier between Prophetic lineage. So I see the two questions as moot.

Mobeen said that he thinks the real crux of the problem is not only “foreign socio-cultural definitions” but rather is, “an issue of us understanding what our reality is”. I agree that getting a grasp on reality is paramount, but that in America, race dictates reality to a great extent. This is something Muslims right now just don’t get, or to put in line with our conversation, Muslims in American are out of touch with reality. Mobeen stated that, “reality is subjecitve”, but in America, race certainly is not. Race is an object; it is a thing; it is tangible. Again, Muslims must come to grips with the nature or matrix of their reality or face irrelevance. For in the light of irrelevance, arguments about mosque building, be it in New York City or Temecula, California, will only be the tip of the iceburg that will sink the American Muslim project.

Mobeen posed one other great question:

“Would instituting an affirmative action-esque approach to hiring imams be an actualized model of us investing?”.

In a talk I had with Dr. Jackson, he made the comment that in social matters, affirmative action can help to bring about needed social change and equality, but when it comes to God, there is no affirmative action. These changes will need to be done by nothing other than struggle and hard work. In this sense, Muslims could do America a great service by keeping with the times and speaking to the truth of race, speaking out against the real racist forces that seek to eliminate race will still holding all of the cards:

“You who have iman! if any of you renounce your deen, Allah will bring forward a people whom He loves and who love Him, humble to the muminun, fierce to the kafirun, who strive in the Way of Allah and do not fear the blame of any censurer. That is the unbounded favour of Allah which He gives to whoever He wills. Allah is Boundless, All-Knowing.” [Qur'ān: al-Mā’idah: 54]

Social relevance is an endeavor that, as you well noted, requires our community to come to terms with our reality. That said, I think the problem that we are seeing not only has to do with the proliferation of foriegn socio-cultural definitions being accepted as quasi-divine or whiteness as a whole being accepted as omni-benevolent, but rather an issue of us understanding what our reality is. Reality is inherently subjective; for many muslims, and by extension many Americans, the social problems being faced by those in the inner city dont resonate with people who live in the middle class or upper middle class. Along the same lines, racial divides and seeing whiteness for what it is requires an awareness as to how a specific racially motivated social reality is influencing our daily decisions, and that has to be understood in concrete terms.

We also have to be clear about the path forward when it comes to solutions. I’ve heard Dr. Jackson speak positively about the work that IMAN is doing out in Chicago, and I know organizations like MANA are instituting projects that address social problems being faced by those in the inner city. Would the MANA/IMAN model be an approach that jives with your idea of becoming socially relevant? I’ve heard Dr. Jackson speak in the past on our need to invest in Black American Islam, but I find myself at times at a loss as to what exactly “invest” would entail… Would instituting an affirmative action-esque approach to hiring imams be an actualized model of us investing? (just an idea…I’d be interested to hear your thoughts).

I haven’t heard that specific talk by Prof. Jackson but I’ve definitely heard other African-American Muslims compare racism to shirk… or in a similar way compare racism to the original sin of Iblis (“I’m better because I’m made of fire and he’s only made of clay”). There are definitely some conceptual ways to frame racism as one of the deepest sins from an Islamic perspective And conversely one can argue a deep egalitarianism found withing Islam as well.

I would also agree that Muslims need to do a better job of being socially relevant and “doing race”. I think we need to develop more organizations that do social justice / community improvement and are focused on the US, especially the inner city. I.M.A.N. in Chicago is a great start but more should be done.

On a more “theoretical” level, I wonder how you feel about the role lineage plays in traditional Islam? One of the main examples I have in mind are how the caliph is supposed to be from Quraysh. This seems to be the standard “Sunni” view and some would claim ijma for it but then how do you come to terms with it? Or do you follow the ijtihad of the khawarij that even a “black slave” (or a Kenyan father and a Kansas mother) could be in charge? The other example which really bothered me when I learned about it is how at least in the Hanafi school (which I am trying to follow) lineage is refered to when it comes to suitability of a marriage partner (and gets defined in terms of being qurayshi, being sayid, or descending from certain companions, and also in terms of how many generations back one has Muslim ancestors).

Do you have any thoughts on how an anti-racist traditional leaning Sunni Muslim should approach the topic?

Wa ‘alaykum salaam. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. Your students’ observations are unfortunately very similar to what I have heard from others and that is, the growing irrelevancy of Islam in not only Blackamerica, but America as a whole. This is the consequence of indigenous American Muslims allowing themselves to be colonized, as one scholar put it, by foreign-born interpretations of Islam. It is also a sad commentary on the condition of the Black psyche, where blackness and the condition of blackness has become so undesirable, that Black folks are willing to jump ship, regardless of what destination those ships are sailing to.

You bring to light a really excellent observation: Islam as a country club mentality. It is still being perpetuated as a club of exclusivity [though most exclusive clubs have something people desire — in the case of urbanized American Muslims, there’s not much there to attract public attention]. Gone are the notions that Islam should that defining force that, or as I will be writing about in the second installment of my post, a holistic redemption on an Adamic scale. While Muslims may criticize the Nation of Islam—Blackamerican Muslims are particularly guilty of this—because of their theological stances, the NOI was far more capable at social issues as well as being concerned with people. Where I would say that the NOI was short sighted was not simply in their conception of God as a Black man [this is obviously incorrect], but in attempting to restrict that redemption [God’s mercy] to one racial group. I believe that Blackamerican Muslims must and should be concerned with the Black agenda, not solely out of race-based fraternal notions but because blackness is the only culturally insulated modality of Americaness that is open to Islam. But beyond this, Islam must be perpetuated as a holistic redemption for all people; Black, white, or other. I believe that to be nothing other than embodying the Sunnah of Muhammad [s], who was A Mercy to All the Worlds.

In an article in the Muhammad Speaks Newspaper in 1975 entitled “Invisible white Divinity by a Visible Whitened Divine” he explored the profound latent effects of images in religion.[21] In an August, 1977 Jumuah Prayer Service on Chicago’s Southside he taught on “The meaning of colors in Scripture and the Natural Powers of Black and White”. In this talk (Khutbah) he described and explained ancient scriptural symbolism and its effect on modern-day scriptural and religious interpretation. He also elaborated on how colors in scripture have triggered racist influences in the religious societies. Also in 1977 he engaged in a (debate) public forum discussion with Reverend Al Sampson in Chicago, Ill. on images in religion and racism.[21] In 1980 he formed the Committee for the Removal of All Images that attempt to Portray the Divine (C.R.A.I.D.).
Those who fail to study history ( especially their own ) are doomed by it